Southern Africa: The Quiet Return of Media Capture in Botswana

There is a certain philosophical tragedy in this transformation. It echoes the cautionary insight of Friedrich Nietzsche, who warned that those who fight monsters must be careful not to become monsters themselves. In the realm of media and power, that warning carries particular weight. The line between critic and controller is not always crossed with fanfare.

From the 2001 advertising ban that nearly crippled private newspapers to fresh claims of influence over both state and private media,…